LA Times - "U.S. Chamber of Commerce grows into a political force"

[TomCADem]

I guess Freedom Works was just the tip of the iceberg, as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce funds astroturf groups to kill health care reform. With U.S. Supreme Court's decision allowing corporations to contributed unlimited funds in political campaigns, 2010 could very well be a watershed year, as the U.S. Chamber pays people to protest.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/08/nation/la-na-chamber9-2010mar09

Reporting from Washington — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is building a large-scale grass-roots political operation that has begun to rival those of the major political parties, funded by record-setting amounts of money raised from corporations and wealthy individuals.

The chamber has signed up some 6 million individuals who are not chamber members and has begun asking them to help with lobbying and, soon, with get-out-the-vote efforts in upcoming congressional campaigns.

The chamber's expansion into grass-roots organizing -- coupled with a large and growing fundraising apparatus that got a lift from Supreme Court rulings -- is part of a trend in which the traditional parties are losing ground to well-financed and increasingly assertive outside groups. The chamber is certainly better positioned than ever to be a major force on the issues and elections it focuses on each year, analysts think.

The new grass-roots program, the brainchild of chamber political director Bill Miller, is concentrating on 22 states. Among them are Colorado, where incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet is vulnerable; Arkansas, where Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln faces an uphill reelection battle; and Ohio, where the chamber sees opportunities in numerous House races and an open Senate seat.

[Mind_your_head]

1. Grows into political force or FARCE? eom

[bullwinkle428]

2. The Citizens United decision was manna from heaven for the C of C!

:scared:

[upi402]

4. Jackpot

for political crackpots!

[Liberty Belle]

3. Chamber members need to speak out against this crap

and get on the legislative boards of your local chamber groups. That's what I've done locally and I've managed to keep the local chamber from voting NOT to support a lot of ugly stuff the national or state chamber recommended.

[glinda]

5. They blackball businesses that do not join. They have too much power over small business also.

The public thinks that they are just a bunch of businesses banded together for advertising promoting their businesses but that is no longer true. There needs too be a counter-part organization to them possibly.

[saracat]

6. And yet some endorse our kissing their butts. Be afraid, be very afraid.

[malaise]

7. That's hilarious

They are one of the oldest political forces across the globe - good old slave owners. The loved that slave trade.

[Hubert Flottz]

8. They'd love to bring back slavery...

And they are well on their way to pulling it off.

[malaise]

9. Ding ding

We have a winner

[blindpig]

10. A little slow on the uptake......

This is news? The Chamber has been an 800 lb gorilla since it's creation.